NASA chief Jim Bridenstein compared mining on the moon to fishing for tuna. RIA Novosti reports.
According to him, it is absolutely legal to extract minerals on the moon and complies with the provisions of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The head of the agency explained that when you put in the effort or capital to fish for tuna in the ocean, it becomes yours. The same principle, in his opinion, should apply to the resources of the moon. He stressed that, as with the ocean, the fact that the US is mining on the Moon does not mean that the Earth's satellite belongs to the United States.
Earlier, Bridenstein talked about the need to establish norms of behavior on the moon that are in line with American values. According to him, it is precisely such norms as openness in science that will help successful international interaction on the moon. As an example, the head of NASA cited the norms of interaction in the Arctic. He stressed that the United States did not want to use this region for military purposes.